Rain finally came to Milan—soft at first, then heavier, relentless, like the secrets pouring from the past into the present. The city's gleaming streets mirrored the turmoil inside Juliet Moretti as she gripped the leather file folder that had just landed on her desk.
It bore no name, no address, only a crimson wax seal.
Antonio watched her from across the room, brow furrowed. "That came through back channels. No sender."
Juliet hesitated, then cracked it open.
Inside was a single photograph: Her mother and father—alive—shaking hands with Giorgio Giovanni.
She stared at the image like it might dissolve. The photo was marked with a date—two weeks before their murder.
Beneath it, a note written in looping script:
"Your parents were not saints. Come see the truth."
A location was scribbled underneath—a secluded villa outside Milan.
Juliet's stomach knotted. It was a trap. She knew that. But some traps held answers.
Antonio stepped forward. "You're not actually going, are you?"
"I need to know," Juliet said, already grabbing her coat. "If my parents were involved with Giorgio… if Adonis was right—"
Antonio gripped her arm. "And if it's a lie meant to break you?"
Juliet met his eyes. "Then I'll know the truth is stronger."
Elsewhere – Adonis' Penthouse
Adonis stood in front of the fire, holding the yellowed envelope like it might burn his hands. His fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from memory.
Maria De Luca's elegant handwriting stretched across the front:
"For my Adonis. To be opened only when the world turns against you."
It had arrived through a former De Luca employee—a loyal gardener turned informant who'd been slipping information to Adonis since his release. Apparently, Maria had hidden it in an old music box, tucked beneath piano keys only she played.
He opened the letter slowly.
"My sweet son,
If you are reading this, then I am gone—and I know what your father has done to you. Forgive me for not stopping it. I tried. I begged. But the world I was trapped in had claws too deep."
Adonis swallowed hard, throat tightening.
"You were never meant for this darkness. I named you after a god because I believed you'd rise above all men—not with cruelty, but with love."
"But if they've hurt you… if they've turned you into something you are not… promise me you'll remember who you were before the world tried to break you."
"You are my light. And light, even caged, always finds a way to shine."
The letter blurred through his tears.
He folded it with reverence, pressing it to his lips like a kiss.
And for the first time in years, Adonis De Luca wept.
Later That Night – Giorgio Giovanni's Secluded Villa
Juliet parked in silence, the air humid and thick around the abandoned villa. The windows were dark. Not a single light. But the gate had been left open—like an invitation.
She stepped inside, hand on her holstered weapon.
It wasn't long before she found the first sign of life: a dim lamp flickering in the parlor.
And then—him.
Giorgio Giovanni sat in a velvet chair, cane resting across his lap, eyes gleaming beneath heavy brows. Like a wolf dressed as royalty.
"Juliet Moretti," he said smoothly. "So bold. Just like your mother."
Juliet didn't flinch. "You killed them."
"Perhaps." Giorgio tilted his head. "But are you sure you knew who they really were?"
He tossed her a folder.
Juliet opened it.
Dozens of classified files—evidence that her parents had once gone undercover into mafia networks… and had made deals. Dirty ones. Unforgivable ones. Things never reported to the force. Cases they buried. Innocents sacrificed to get close to men like Giorgio.
"No…" she whispered.
"They got too close. And then they got cold feet." Giorgio's voice was silk over steel. "I didn't kill them because they were enemies. I killed them because they betrayed me."
Juliet's mind reeled. She didn't know what to believe. Her heart said he was twisting truth into poison. But her eyes—her eyes saw the evidence.
Giorgio stood slowly. "You see, Detective… justice is never black and white. It's blood and shadows. Just like your dear Adonis."
"Don't say his name."
"Oh?" Giorgio smiled. "Then maybe you don't know him as well as you think. Do you know what else your parents were trying to hide?"
He reached into his coat.
But Juliet was faster.
She drew her gun, aiming squarely at his chest. "Don't move."
Giorgio merely chuckled. "Always so quick to draw. Just like your father."
He dropped a small, silver flash drive onto the table.
"Take it. Watch it. And then ask yourself if you're still on the right side."
Juliet didn't lower her weapon. But her hand trembled as she grabbed the drive.
"Next time we meet," Giorgio said, "you'll be forced to choose. Him. Or the badge."
Back in Milan – Adonis' Underground Hideout
Adonis stood before a corkboard filled with maps, photographs, red strings of connection. The ledger's location was coming into focus. He could almost feel it.
But then—his burner phone buzzed.
A message.
Juliet:
"I need to see you. Now. Alone."
Adonis stared at the screen, heart already pounding.
He knew that tone.
Something had changed.
And he wasn't sure if she was coming to trust him…
Or to destroy him.